Radially Expandable Suture Anchor Implant
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for securing suture to tissue, such as screws, staples, and suture anchors, often cause tissue damage during reattachment procedures, particularly due to the risk of 'cheese wiring' where the suture breaks through the tissue, disrupting the healing process and potentially requiring additional surgical interventions.
Innovation Solution
A surgical method utilizing an implant with radially expanding portions that positions a suture within a tissue hole, allowing the suture to be tensioned without direct contact with the tissue, thereby reducing the risk of damage and enhancing healing by maintaining tissue contact with the bone.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a suture is pulled to tension the soft tissue to secure it to the bone, then the soft tissue is secured to the bone, but the suture may cause damage to the tissue by breaking through the damaged tissue (cheese wiring)
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary device (the implant with hollow intermediate portion) between the suture and the soft tissue. The suture passes through this intermediate portion rather than directly through the tissue, allowing tensioning forces to be applied without the suture directly contacting and potentially damaging the tissue. This mediator protects the tissue from the harmful effects of direct suture-tissue interaction during tensioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The implant is divided into distinct functional portions: radially expandable first and second portions for anchoring to bone, and a hollow intermediate portion for suture passage. This segmentation allows the tensioning function to be separated from the tissue-piercing function, enabling securement without direct suture-tissue contact that causes cheese wiring damage.
2Reliability
If traditional suture anchors are used to lock the suture to the bone, then the suture can be tensioned, but the suture may still cause tissue damage by partially or fully breaking through the damaged tissue
Solution Approach 1:
The hollow intermediate portion of the implant serves as a protected pathway for the suture. This intermediary structure allows the suture to be locked to the bone through the implant while preventing direct contact between the suture and the vulnerable soft tissue during tensioning, thereby eliminating the cheese wiring effect while maintaining secure anchoring.
3Reliability
If the suture is pulled to tension the soft tissue, then the soft tissue is secured to the bone, but the healing process is disrupted and additional surgical intervention may be needed
Solution Approach 1:
By using the hollow intermediate portion as a protective intermediary, the tissue is shielded from suture-induced damage during the critical tensioning phase. This protection prevents disruption of the healing process, eliminating the need for additional surgical interventions and reducing overall recovery time while maintaining effective reattachment.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and devices are provided for securing suture to tissue. In one exemplary embodiment, the implant can include an intermediate portion, a first radially expandable portion extending from the intermediate portion, and a second radially expandable portion extending from the intermediate portion. The implant can be configured to be inserted through a delivery device in a first configuration and deployed into a hole formed in tissue in a second configuration such that the intermediate portion is positioned within the hole. A suture can be inserted through a passageway of the intermediate portion positioned within the hole, and the suture can be tensioned to secure the tissue to bone.